Yeah, you're right about 40k now that I thought about it a little more in depth. I was just in a state of disbelief after Jedi, I couldn't think straight. I have no idea what Episode IX could possibly be about or what's left to care about? We already saw another Death Star, we know Rey can beat Kylo in a duel already, all the OT characters are gone basically, we know nothing about Snoke or his relationship with the Sith. I bet they'll end up on an "Endor" planet filled with porgs, calling it. I'm just done with Star Wars, it's dead.

Well, the year is almost over so here’s my summary of all the 2017 film releases I saw and thought I’d share my stance of what I’d recommend for you to watch (Kino/Great tiers notably). I’m sure I’ll piss off some people but that’s to be expected, these are my own personal opinions and I’m willing to discuss my position on specific films for the sake of constructive debate. Looking forward to checking out what 2018 has to offer!

Tier Breakdowns:

Kino = I absolutely loved it, I don’t hand this one out very often.
Great = Really liked it, just has some minor issues.
Good = Watchable but easily forgotten.
Meh = Not my cup of tea.
Garbage = Waste of time, skip it.

Kino Tier:Blade Runner 2049
Lady Bird
The Killing of a Sacred Deer

Great Tier:mother!
Good Time
Baby Driver
A Ghost Story
Wind River
Thelma

Good Tier:Thor: Ragnarok
Gerald’s Game
IT
Okja
It Comes at Night
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Logan
Get Out
Ingrid Goes West
A Cure for Wellness
Split
Raw

Meh Tier:Justice League
Dunkirk
Spider-Man: Homecoming
Life
Colossal
The Bad Batch
The Void

haven't really seen a whole lot of movies this year. not sure if i'm just not in the mood for movies as of late or i'm just super picky nowadays. Dunkirk and Get Out are probably my favorites and IT was a fun watch. i'll get around to Blade Runner once it's out of cinemas. Wind River has also been on my list for a while. always thought Star Wars was really lame so the fact they managed to make another bad movie doesn't surprise me. now that i'm done with finals and have some free time for a few weeks i'll catch up on some films i missed this year (and even last year).

this was a pretty good year for television though. Narcos was excellent, Mr. Robot continues to be the most underrated show on TV and Fargo was great as per usual. Ozark was also enjoyable, but heavily flawed. i think it has potential to be really good though. Jason Bateman is bae and the cinematography is beautiful. GoT was the only show to disappoint me this year. it's still solid and after 7 seasons i'm committed to seeing the ending no matter how shit it becomes, but damn it's a bummer to see the show decline in quality so rapidly.

‘Brawl in Cell Block 99’ was a pleasant surprise, pure brutally violent grindhouse. You’ve never seen Vince Vaughn like this before as we watch his character descend into the depths of Hell itself. What surprised me the most is how visually the story is being told to us rather than bogging down in exposition. Each act is perfectly set up as the pacing here is phenomenal with never a dull moment. I hope Vaughn gets offered more roles like this since it was a treat to watch him absolutely destroy other human beings. A fun and engaging gem from 2017 that I’m glad I watched.

It’s hard to recommend to everyone but if you like 60’s grindhouse stylized films you’ll definitely enjoy this one. If you can’t stomach brutal violence I would steer clear. This film grabs you by the throat and throws you around like a ragdoll but that’s what makes the experience so damn fun. It's out on Amazon for free if you have it.

the new season is pretty solid so far. a lot of people really liked the first episode (USS Callister), but i didn't think it was all that great. i guess not being into Star Trek might have something to do with it. Arkangel and Crocodile were solid and Hang the DJ was really good. still have 2 more to go.

definitely watch s2 and s3 ASAP it has some of the best episodes in the series (Shut Up and Dance, Playtest, White Christmas). i think now that you own a VR headset you might really like the Playtest episode haha.

One of these days I'll get back on the 'Black Mirror' wagon. I finished the first season and it was very hit or miss for me but I do appreciate the originality. After the sour taste of GoT I just gave up on miniseries honestly, it's hard to fully explain. I haven't watched a tv show since. I'll try my best to get around to it for discussion at least, that's always fun.

As for Amazon, yeah if you have Prime you can watch anything Prime for free. After watching the prison kino ‘Brawl in Cell Block 99’, I immediately had to check out what else writer/director S. Craig Zahler brought to the table.

This is how you tell an original Western tale, ‘Bone Tomahawk’ is a true delight by mixing horror/western into a suspenseful ride with very welcoming results. It follows the typical Western dynamic with character development, but takes some bold risks by crossing genres in the best way possible. The script Is very well handled, and each character has their equal shining moment and failure for us to get behind. It’s more or less a build instead of an edge of your seat kind of thrill ride, but it works so well here.

This is probably my new favorite modern Western film simply because how the story is handled. Nothing is forced, all the actors nail their roles, the tone and consistency never lets up. As I have preached in the past, silence is used to a golden degree here in the scenes that truly count. I love this film and highly encourage any slight fan of the Western genre to give it a chance. You’ll be surprised.

‘The Florida Project’ has been on my watch list for a while now and today I’m finally glad to say that I got to experience this film. ‘The Florida Project’ truly immerses you into this rough setting in the most colorful and beautiful viewpoint from a child. This film explores the often-forgotten part of lower-class society in a very realistic humanist perspective and this is what hits you so close to home as a viewer. The film is an examination of the purity and innocence of childhood done remarkably and I consider it to be the 2017 equivalent of ‘American Honey’ in many regards.

We view the film, mainly the angled camera, from the eyes of Moonee, a 6-year old that causes mayhem in her motel complex resting right outside the Florida Disney World theme park. The story centers around her and her completely unfit single mother Halley as they struggle daily to pay rent just to get by. The general thesis of the film is analyzing the societal burden of accepting a shitty situation for what it is. The main leads and supporting cast are all taken with a brutally honest approach as demonstrated through Willem Dafoe’s astonishing performance to trying to handle the conflict.

The film captures the course of a summer in the ‘Magical Kingdom’ motel suite, we watch these kids make the best of the grimy living conditions that they are dealt with by pretending it all as a fantasy world. As impoverished as these kids are, they understand the willingness to do whatever they can to survive, and that’s what sticks with you if you’ve ever been in that situation. It really hits close to home on the freedom and purity of childhood, to blissfully ignore all the adulthood problems that coexist within the confines of their reality. Caution though for some, if you can’t handle child actors screaming loudly and acting, well, like kids, this will annoy you. If you can look past that, there are some powerful child actors performing exceptionally well in this gem. It all felt so real and natural.

Moonee and her mother Halley really steal the spotlight here, considering the role for Halley was a random woman found on Instagram by Sean Baker. This is what makes it feel so real though, the emotional connection isn’t forced or overacted, it felt like we were witnessing a real single mother and her daughter struggle in the downward spiral life can take us on sometimes. That’s also one of the best points of the film, even in this shitty situation that is real and exists for a lot of people out there, it shows that there is no good or bad guy here, just unjustifiable moral decisions and consequences in an extreme circumstance. The structure of the film is simple through the eyes of Moonee yet extremely complex through the actions Halley takes throughout. The parallel from childhood to adulthood is ever prevalent and makes you really think deep down.

I loved the low angle camerawork Baker decided to use here to reflect the kids’ perspective of the world they are living in. Everything is so gushing to life with color and every frame seems so massive and important just like a kid would see the world outside of their cheap motel. The way the tragic adult scenes were handled was very tough to watch but also very well handled from a filmmaking point of view. The core of the film is how easily you can attain in life or easily throw it all away and that was the hardest part during the resolution.

I definitely recommend checking out this film and hold it up there with ‘Blade Runner 2049’ and ‘The Killing of a Sacred Deer’ as my 2017 necessary viewing trilogy. This is a pure authentic look deep into the human condition and a true gem in the works of modern cinema.